The Orphan

My father and mother are dead,

Nor friend, nor relation I know;

And now the cold earth is their bed,

And daisies will over them grow.

I cast my eyes into the tomb,

The sight made me bitterly cry;

I said, "And is this the dark room,

Where my father and mother must lie?"

I cast my eyes round me again,

In hopes some protector to see;

Alas! but the search was in vain,

For none had compassion on me.

I cast my eyes up to the sky,

I groan'd, though I said not a word;

Yet GOD was not deaf to my cry,

The Friend of the fatherless heard.

For since I have trusted his care,

And learn'd on his word to depend,

He has kept me from every snare,

And been my best Father and Friend.

Jane Tylor

Imagine setting a simple challenge to almost anyone in the English speaking world regarding fondly remembered poems and songs from their childhood. Ask them to recite the opening lines of the first poem or song that comes to mind and there is a good chance that the majority would say: “Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are”. It’s one of those little ditties that has been popular worldwide since the 19th century but it is very likely that most would not be able to state who wrote it. Well, the answer is that the English poet and novelist Jane Taylor wrote those famous words. Her poem was set to music, using an old French tune, and the legend was born! Jane was born in September 1783, in London, but she spent her early years living in the small Suffolk town of Lavenham. She had an older sister called Ann, and the pair loved to write poetry and stories together. Their parents gave the girls plenty of encouragement to write and their mother was, herself, responsible for the publication of seven books giving religious and moral advice. Their father was a dissenting minister and engraver.

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